May 10, 2023: The Canadian government has unveiled a new passport design that features new security features and will begin production this summer.
The passport’s new cover-to-cover redesign will boast artwork highlighting Canada’s diverse people, landscapes and wildlife. The new passport will also include security features such as engraved personal information, according to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
And yes, it’s still blue.Fraser was joined by Families Minister Karina Gould and MP Marie-France Lalonde at Ottawa International Airport on Tuesday for the unveiling.
“The security features are going to position Canada as a leader when it comes to protecting the authenticity of our travel documents over the course of the next generation,” said Fraser.
Gould added that the price to renew passports will remain the same. Canadians will also have the opportunity to renew their passport, pay fees and upload photos securely online come this fall.
The redesigned caused an uproar on Tuesday, when Fraser confirmed that the historic images inside the book will be changed. According to the minister this change was made after the government “received a significant amount of feedback on the need to celebrate our natural environment, to celebrate the diversity of Canada’s peoples more so than simply historical artifacts or symbols.”
Some of the images being removed include a memorial to the Battle of Vimy Ridge, as well as images of Terry Fox and the last spike driven into the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In a statement shared with the Star, The Royal Canadian Legion criticized the removal of the Vimy Ridge memorial:
“We are disappointed by the decision to remove an image that signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides. The Vimy Memorial was a fundamental image, also representing a defining moment for Canada, a country emerging as an independent nation with limitless potential. Removing that image in the context of a design change and without knowing the rationale was, to put it bluntly, a poor decision.”
On Twitter, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the removal of the photo of Terry Fox: “Put Terry Fox back in the passport — honour our history.”
The new passport will feature a reference to the newly crowned King Charles III, making Canada one of the first countries in the Commonwealth to introduce a travel document series with a reference to the monarch. The document will also include an embedded electronic passport chip in a transparent window which will better deter tampering attempts.
The redesign began in 2013 as a regular process to prevent counterfeiting by integrating new and more modern security features and design techniques.
Gould said that this is a “normal process” and that every 10 years the government updates the passport to ensure the technology is current.
“It’s important that (the passport) is continually updated to make sure that we’re keeping fraudsters and criminals at bay while protecting the ability of Canadians to travel,” said Gould.
Older passports will still be valid until their expiry date. Gould said that both generations are secure and “great.”
“These changes will not only better reflect who we are as a person, but also strengthen the safety and security of Canadian travellers,” said Lalonde.
